John Locke's philosophical contributions and influence

RESPONSE ON JOHN LOCKE

In Chapter IX, paragraph 123, "Of the Ends of Political Society and Government," part of The Second Treatise of Civil Government, John Locke puts forth a very important question-"If man in the state of nature be so free. . . if he be absolute lord of his own person and possessions, equal to the greatest and subject to no body, why will he part with his freedom?" Obviously, Locke is pointing out that every human being, regardless of their social status, is the "absolute lord" or master of his own person and possessions which Locke categorizes as being property, i.e., "lives, liberties and estates." Locke then asks "why will he (i.e., a free man) give up this empire and subject himself to the dominion and control of any other power?" What Locke is attempting to say in this passage is that a free man or woman would willingly give up their personal freedom, or at least part of it, in order to assure the "mutual preservation" of his rights as a free human being via joining some sort of united society which exists to preserve his so-called "natural rights." This is certainly much in line with our current democratic system in the United States which exists solely to guarantee that all men and women are free individuals and have the God-given right to live their lives as they see fit. This passage is also very interesting, due to perhaps serving as part of the Founding Fathers' inspiration to set up a democratic system free from the tyranny of Great Britain which resulted in the creation of America after the Revolutionary War of 1776. Obviously, in the eyes of someone like King George III, this passage would be quite controversial, for Locke is suggesting that all men must be free from the control of others who see themselves as superior, in this case the British monarchy. Personally, this passage is very inspiring and demonstrates that every political society and/or government must work continuously towards guaranteeing the freedom of its citizens which for Locke represents the end of all means or in other words, serves as the ultimate attainable goal.